


Misdirection

by AutumnMooncakes



Series: Harrison [1]
Category: Camp Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25297228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnMooncakes/pseuds/AutumnMooncakes
Summary: Harrison’s magic goes awry after an argument with Nerris, and Harrison desperately tries to rectify his mistake while keeping it secret from the rest of the camp.
Series: Harrison [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832596
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS for Camp Camp seasons 1-4! Some swearing, hints at PTSD, general angst. This takes place the following summer, a year after the main series. It was based on a prompt from fiddler-unroofed.tumblr.com.

“Harrison!” Nikki’s shrill voice rang out across the camp.   
The shout broke Harrison’s train of thought. He stuffed his pen and the letter he had been composing under his pillow and peered out of his tent.   
Nikki ran up to him. “We’re looking for someone to play Clue with!” she said, her green curls bouncing up and down. “You game, Harrison?”   
Harrison felt his muscles tense up a little. “I, um, no thank you,” he replied nervously.   
Nikki pouted.   
“We could play Monopoly instead,” said Neil, coming up with a Clue box under his arm. “Or Scrabble.”   
“No, thank you.”   
“You always say no,” said Neil. “Don’t you like board games?”   
“If I don’t want to play, I don’t want to play, okay?” said Harrison. “Find someone else.”   
“Dolph and Preston want to finish designing their Victorian costumes today, and Nurf, Ered, and Space Kid went berry-picking,” said Neil. “That’s what I heard them telling David, anyway.” He looked around. “Where’s Nerris? She wasn’t at breakfast.”   
“She probably fell asleep on top of her castle again.” Max appeared from his tent, eyes half-open and holding a mug of steaming coffee.   
“There’s no point,” said Harrison. “I don’t think she likes board games.”   
“Can you please join us, Max?” Neil smiled, holding out the Clue box. “It’s no fun with only two players.”   
“I don’t want do anything today,” said Max.   
“You already spent yesterday doing nothing!” Nikki cried. “That wasn’t enough nothing for you?”   
“Give me one reason why this game will be more fun than being left alone to overthink the meaninglessness of life.”  
“We need another player!” Nikki gave Max puppy dog eyes. _“Pleeeeeaaaaase?”_  
Max sighed. “Fine.”   
Harrison slipped back inside his tent and took the pen and paper out, but his mind was now blank. Sighing, he carefully folded the paper and put it in a large brown envelope he kept in his bag.   
He then strolled to the activities field. Dolph and Preston were behind the curtain of the Theater Camp platform. Dolph was standing on a stool while Preston pulled a voluminous skirt over Dolph’s head.   
The door of the cardboard castle opened, and Nerris came out, stretching and yawning. The tower was painted to look like stone and held together with tape, and Harrison was surprised it hadn’t fallen over yet.   
Nerris’s T-shirt and cloak definitely looked like they had been slept in, and her brown curly hair was sticking up in front. “Where is everyone?” she said groggily.   
“Designing clothes, playing board games, or berry-picking,” Harrison answered. He stepped onto the small stage he used for his magic tricks.   
“I don’t know why anyone plays board games,” said Nerris. “They’re so predictable.”  
“That’s not true!” said Harrison loudly. “The point of board games is to devise strategy!”   
Nerris gave him a strange look through her round glasses. “I thought you didn’t like board games.”   
“That’s not what I said.” Harrison was becoming increasingly frustrated with the conversation.   
“Then why do you never want to play?”   
“I’m just not in the mood.”  
Nerris pointed to her castle. “You could roleplay with me.”   
“I’m not interested in your fantasy game.”   
She lowered her hand. “It’s not a board game! It’s different!”  
 _“I never said I didn’t like board games!”_ Harrison shouted.   
“You’re not making any sense,” said Nerris. “Do you like board games or don’t you?”   
“They’re certainly more mature than the roleplaying you do,” said Harrison.   
That made Nerris frown. “It’s not like your tricks are that impressive.”   
“You want to see an impressive trick?” Harrison raised his hands and spread his fingers.   
Nerris jumped back and assumed a fighting pose. “Don’t you dare!”   
“I’m going to make you sorry!” said Harrison.   
“It probably won’t even work.”   
“Take back what you said!”   
“Never!”   
“Then prepare to regret it!” Harrison lunged forward, but the tip of his shoe got caught on a gap in the floorboards. As he fell off the stage and collapsed facedown on the grass, he felt the magic escape his fingers.  
There was silence.   
Harrison scrambled to his feet. Nerris was nowhere to be seen.   
“NERRIS!”


	2. Chapter 2

Harrison was paralyzed, his thoughts rushing madly.  
He had made Nerris disappear, and he didn’t know if he could get her back. He wasn’t even sure if he should try. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Nerris came back injured, or worse, dead.  
But if he didn’t bring her back, he would be scolded by the counselors, everyone would be scared of him, and if her parents found out …  
He had to try. There was a chance she could be okay.  
He picked up his fallen top hat and went behind the curtains of his little stage. There was no electric light, and it was cobwebby and smelled like old curtains.  
Harrison had no clear method for making things appear and disappear. He just willed it to happen and waved his hands, and it happened.  
Harrison closed his eyes and focused on Nerris.  
Nothing.  
Grinding his teeth, he tried again, but still with no results.  
After many fruitless minutes, Harrison sat down on the floor.  
There was some noise outside, and Harrison looked through a gap in the curtains.  
Max, Nikki, and Neil were coming back from their game of Clue. Gwen and David were following behind them.  
“My guesses are never right,” said Nikki grumpily.  
“Can we play something a bit more challenging?” Max asked.  
“Well, there’s Ticket to Ride, Risk, Puerto Rico, Pandemic …” Neil listed.  
“I’ve never played Pandemic before,” said Nikki. “What is that?”  
“I’m not sure, actually,” Neil answered.  
“It’s a cooperative board game,” said Harrison. “But it’s very difficult to beat.”  
Max raised an eyebrow.  
“What do you think?” Preston shouted. He and Dolph had emerged from the Theater Camp, wearing ridiculously thick clothing over their camp outfits.  
“Those look beautiful!” said David.  
“You’re both going to get heatstroke!” said Gwen.  
Dolph’s head was lost in an enormous feathered hat. “Danke, David. Would you like to try them on yourself?”  
“Where’s Nerris?” Max asked Harrison.  
Harrison tried to hide his panic. “I think … she went off into the Dark Forbidden Secret … Elven … Forest.”  
“It was the Dark Forbidden Secret Sacred Elven Forest,” said Neil.  
“That’s not safe!” said Gwen. “Why didn’t you go with her? You know about the buddy system!”  
“I …”  
David had put on the hat and was grinning from ear to ear. “I feel so beautiful!”  
“David,” said Gwen, with her arms crossed.  
“Right,” said David. “That was irresponsible of you, Harrison, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. We came here to inform you kids that Gwen’s driving into town to buy more paper for next week’s Poetry Camp.” He put his hand on his chin. “I don’t know why we ran out so quickly. I’m certain we had more.”  
“I can’t wait,” said Max sarcastically.  
Harrison shuffled away a little.  
“Do you think we should play Puerto Rico or Ticket to Ride?” Neil asked the others.  
“I don’t care,” said Nikki.  
“What do you think, Harrison?” Max said to Harrison, enunciating his words very carefully.  
“Ticket to Ride,” said Harrison immediately.  
“You sure you don’t want to join us?” said Nikki.  
Harrison shook his head.  
Neil went to ask Dolph and Preston, but they also declined.  
Realizing he would no longer get any privacy, Harrison started walking to his tent, keeping his pace casual.  
There were footsteps, and Harrison discovered that Max was following him.  
“David and Gwen may not be able to tell when you’re lying, but I can,” said Max. “Where’s Nerris?”  
“I’m not lying!”  
“Just spit out the truth,” said Max. “Unless you want me to tell the counselors.”  
There was no one else nearby. “I made her disappear,” Harrison whispered.  
Max’s expression turned from suspicious to shocked. “Dude, seriously?”  
“You can’t tell anyone, okay?” Harrison shouted.  
Max raised his hands. “Okay, okay. Where does all that stuff go when they disappear?”  
“Into nonbeing,” said Harrison.  
“What the hell does that mean?”  
Harrison threw up his hands. “I don’t know!”  
“I’ll leave you to it.” Max actually looked a little remorseful. “Good luck, man.” He returned to his friends.  
Harrison balled his fists. Max’s fear only strengthened his resolve. 

By lunchtime, Harrison still had no luck. He dragged his feet on the way to the mess hall. Preston and Dolph hurried past him, stumbling in long skirts with enormous bows.  
David was already in the cabin, wearing a brown jacket with lapels over his clothes. There was a frilly hand fan tucked into his pocket.  
Gwen had returned, and she was surveying the room of hungry campers. “Is Nerris not back yet?” she said to Harrison.  
“No.” Harrison’s palms were sweating inside his gloves.  
“I hope she packed a snack,” said David. “Does she know which plants are safe to eat?”  
“I’m sure she does,” said Harrison.  
Ered, Nurf, and Space Kid had returned from the forest with baskets. Looking at the amount of berries they had collected, however, they had probably spent most of their time doing something else.  
“Did you see Nerris?” Gwen asked them.  
“No,” said Ered, looking concerned. “Did she go into the forest, too?”  
“Maybe she’ll be back later,” said Gwen.  
Over lunch, Harrison didn’t talk to anyone, and no one talked to him. As he mechanically ate, he remembered the unfinished letter in his bag. His mind had been occupied by thoughts of Nerris.  
With double the guilt now sitting in his chest, he finished his meal quickly and left the mess hall.

Back in his tent, Harrison angrily closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might.   
His fingers tingled, and he got the distinct feeling that someone was standing in front of him. He cracked open one eye, then the other.   
It wasn’t Nerris. Instead, it was an older boy with amber eyes and dark brown hair.   
“Edgar?” said Harrison, his voice cracking.   
The boy was a wreck. His hair was uncombed and there was a yellowish bruise on his neck. His purple plaid shirt was full of rips and tears. Underneath the unbuttoned shirt was a T-shirt that had once been gray but was now almost black. He was also missing one shoe.   
Edgar’s eyes were darting around. “W-what? What is this?”  
“Are you okay?” said Harrison. “You don’t feel sick? Everything’s in the right place?”   
Edgar’s vision seemed to clear, and he focused on his brother on the first time. “Harrison? You did it!” He smiled and hugged Harrison tight. “I knew you could do it!”  
Harrison was nearly crushed. Edgar reeked of smells he couldn’t name.   
“It’s so good to see you again!” Edgar cried.   
“You too,” said Harrison. He was still reeling from shock and worried about Nerris.   
“Didn’t I always say that perseverance pays off? I knew it would work!”   
Harrison hung his head. “Actually, it didn’t. I brought you back because I was trying to bring someone else back.”  
“You made someone else disappear?”   
“You can’t tell anyone until I find a way to bring her back!” Harrison shouted.   
“You have my word,” Edgar responded. “If you don’t mind me asking … who was the other person?”  
“She’s called Nerris,” said Harrison. “She likes roleplaying and LARPing. Did you see her? She’s black, always wears a cloak and a pointy hat -”  
“No, didn’t see anyone.” Edgar patted Harrison on the shoulder. “You’ve got this, Harrison.”   
“I don’t know if I can do it again,” said Harrison. “What’s it like … over there?”   
Edgar scratched his head, and Harrison saw that his hands were red and callused. “There were lots of colors … and everything was sideways or upside down, and ... I don’t even have the words to describe it.”   
“Oh, okay,” said Harrison.   
Edgar smiled again. “So, this is Camp Campbell? I can’t wait to see what it’s like.”   
Harrison’s face lit up. “You read my letters?”  
“All of them.”  
“I read yours, too,” said Harrison. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to bring them back. What was that substance you wrote with?”  
“I have no idea.”  
Both brothers gave each other shy grins.   
“I need to use the bathroom,” said Edgar after an awkward silence. 

When Edgar stepped out of the tent, he felt like he was walking on a tilted plane. The sky was too blue and the grass too green. Ordinary human objects surrounded him, but it took him some time for him to remember what they were called.   
As they passed a large log cabin, a tall man and woman came through the door. They were wearing identical green T-shirts with pine trees on them. They almost seemed like aliens to Edgar.   
“You left in a hurry just now,” the woman said to Harrison. She was hunched over slightly. “Is something wrong?”   
“Nothing’s wrong,” said Harrison a little too quickly.   
The man approached Edgar. “Sorry, but … who are you?”  
“My name’s Edgar,” said Edgar. “I’m Harrison’s brother.”   
“You made him reappear?” said the woman to Harrison.   
The man threw up his hands. “Harrison, that’s amazing! Your magic really is getting better!”   
Harrison forced a smile.   
More faces appeared at the log cabin windows. Then some of the other campers came out, looking curiously at the newcomer.   
“Kids, I’d like you all to come and meet Edgar, Harrison’s brother!” said David.   
Edgar was met with blank stares.   
“You … have a brother?” a boy with puffy brown hair said to Harrison.   
Harrison avoided the boy’s gaze. Edgar could feel the tension in the air.   
The male counselor’s enthusiasm didn’t falter. “Welcome to Camp Campbell, Edgar! My name is David, and this is Gwen! We’re so happy to have you here!”   
“We should contact your parents,” Gwen told Edgar, and walked off.   
The idea of suddenly interacting with so many different people made Edgar feel slightly overwhelmed.   
“Since it’s Sunday, there’re no scheduled activities, so you can take the time to get to know everyone and explore the camping grounds,” David told Edgar.   
Edgar didn’t want to leave his brother, but realized his immediate needs were probably more important. “Actually, I’d like to take a shower first.”   
“You could probably do with some new clothes,” David commented.   
Edgar examined the frayed edges of his shirt. “Yeah, I could.”   
“I’ll find you some,” said David. “Go on and shower.”


	3. Chapter 3

Harrison showed Edgar to the shower stalls. Edgar used Harrison’s toiletries and a spare towel.   
It was all so surreal. Edgar went through the motions of showering without really registering what he was doing. The coldness of the water jarred him a little.   
According to David, most of the campers’ clothing would be too small for Edgar, so David lent him some of his own clothes. He offered him a pair of sneakers, but Edgar opted to wear slippers instead.   
Gwen found Edgar as he was coming out of the counselors’ cabin. “Your parents should be here first thing tomorrow morning.”   
“Thank you.”   
When Edgar came to Harrison’s tent, there was someone talking to Harrison. “You brought your brother back. So just do it again.”   
“I’m trying!”   
“This could be a matter of life or death.”   
“I didn’t kill her, Max!” Harrison cried.   
Edgar barged into the tent and glared down at a boy in a blue hoodie. “What the hell is your deal? Can’t you see how upset he is about this? This isn’t something you can joke about!”   
Max seemed startled.   
“Stop pestering him,” said Edgar. “Everything takes practice.” He returned Harrison’s toiletries and hung his wet towel on the clothes tree. “I’m so glad to be back in civilization.”  
Max gave him an odd look.   
“You’d better not tell anyone about this,” Edgar said to Max.   
“I don’t know what the problem is!” said Harrison. “I thought I was getting better!”  
“You two figure it out,” said Max. “I’m going to see if my friends want to play Puerto Rico.” He left the tent.   
Edgar looked after him somewhat longingly.   
“You don’t have to stay here,” said Harrison. “You can go do something else if you want.”   
Max popped his head back in again. “You want to play Puerto Rico?”   
“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?” Edgar asked Harrison.   
“I’ve been on my own for a while now.”  
“Well?” said Max.   
“Sure, I love Puerto Rico!” said Edgar. There was a chance that a familiar board game would help him calm his nerves.   
Neil came running over to Max. “Actually, Space Kid, Ered, and Nurf are playing Puerto Rico. Would you be okay with Monopoly instead?”  
“I love Monopoly, too!” said Edgar.   
“Okay, great,” said Neil.   
“I’m going to practice my magic some more,” said Harrison to Max and Neil. “Good luck.”   
As he was leaving the activities field, Edgar saw Gwen and David coming together from opposite directions. “Have you seen Nerris?” David asked Gwen.  
Gwen shook her head.   
“Hopefully Nerris will be back by dinnertime,” said David. 

Harrison sat down on his bed in defeat. Instead of trying, he began thinking about Nerris.   
Did he hate her? They argued all the time. She took every opportunity to criticize him. But did that mean she hated him?   
All his life, Harrison had longed to meet someone else like him. Nerris was probably the closest thing he would ever find to another Magic Kid, and all he ever did was be enemies with her.   
There were some moments when she actually seemed impressed by his magic, and he treasured them. She would deny it if he ever asked her for comments, though.   
He didn’t feel like Nerris had got what she had deserved. The guilt over Edgar’s disappearance was doubled now.   
Harrison straightened his aching back, stood up, wiped his gloves on his pants, and tried again. 

In the mess hall, Edgar counted his Monopoly money gloatingly.   
Max was gawking at him, Neil’s eye was twitching violently and Nikki looked on the verge of tears.   
“That was a good game,” said Edgar, putting the stack of notes down.   
“No way!” Max slammed both hands on the board, toppling the game pieces over. “I demand a rematch!”   
“There’ll be time for a rematch later,” said Edgar. “I want to hear more about this camp. What other activities are there?”   
“I came here for Adventure Camp,” said Nikki.   
“I signed up for Science Camp,” Neil added.   
“And you?” Edgar said to Max.   
“Couldn’t decide,” Max replied.  
“I’m surprised you’re this good at Monopoly,” said Neil. “Every time we ask Harrison to play with us, he refuses.”   
“Really?” said Edgar. “I thought …” He looked away.   
“What else do you do for fun?” said Nikki, who seemed to have recovered.   
“I really like going to the beach. And sailing.”   
“David said Harrison made you disappear.” Neil’s forehead was crinkled in worry.   
“It was an accident,” said Edgar, trying not to raise his voice.   
“That sounds very scary,” said Nikki. “Were you in danger? Did you get traumatized?”   
“I’m fine,” Edgar lied. When he played a game, he became fully immersed in it, almost like he was in another state of consciousness. Now that the game was over, he was becoming aware of the disorientation in his brain again.   
He saw that the other campers, who had since finished their game of Puerto Rico, were now listening to him too. “I’m going to check up on Harrison.” He pointed to Max. “I’ve got my eye on you.”

Harrison had had no success. Other things, including a small rabbit and several report cards, had appeared. But no Nerris.   
“I don’t know why it isn’t working!” Harrison cried when Edgar came in.   
“You can do this, Harrison,” said Edgar.   
Harrison got a warm fuzzy feeling he hadn’t felt for a long time. At home, it had always been Edgar who had supervised his magic tricks and cheered him on.   
He waved his hands several times, but kept glancing up at Edgar.   
“Stop looking at me like I’m going to disappear again,” said Edgar. “I have faith in your magic.”  
“Wow,” said Harrison, laughing nervously, “you have more faith than I do.”   
“You brought me back, didn’t you?” said Edgar. “I know this is what you love. I’m sure Mom and Dad will be understanding, too.”   
Harrison smiled.   
“Why don’t you take a break?” said Edgar. “Have your chess skills improved since I last saw you?”  
His brother looked away. “Actually … we haven’t really played any board games for a while.”   
“Oh.”  
“It’s not going to be easy when you go back home,” said Harrison. “We told everyone you ran away.”   
Edgar was silent for a moment, frowning. “I guess that means more therapy for me.”   
Harrison sat on the bed and pressed his hands against his forehead. “I’m scared that Nerris won’t come back right. I once made an egg disappear, and when I brought it back, it was broken.”  
“Oh, that!” said Edgar. “I was walking, and accidentally kicked it into a … it was a very big egg. What animal did it belong to? An ostrich?”  
“A … platypus.”  
Edgar looked confused. “Platypuses are native to Australia.”   
“Yeah, but there’s one in our forest for some reason,” said Harrison. “So … you’re unharmed?”   
“I wouldn’t say that I’m unharmed.” Edgar touched the bruise on his neck. “But none of it was your fault.”  
“All of it was my fault,” said Harrison. “I didn’t practice enough.”   
“You don’t have to practice all the time,” said Edgar. “I’m not going to be mad at you for trying to have fun, or for being happy. I tried to have fun, too.”   
“Fun? What did you do?”   
“I played chess,” said Edgar. “I made a chessboard out of a piece of wood and used stones for the pieces. I had to teach – what are you doing?”   
Harrison was wriggling his fingers. A flat piece of wood and a cloth pouch materialized on the ground in front of him.   
“Edgar, you made this?” Harrison emptied out the pouch. Each stone had the first letter of a chess piece painted on it.   
“Yup,” said Edgar proudly.   
“This is so cool!” said Harrison.   
“Thanks.” Edgar squatted down next to Harrison. “It was nice to have a piece of home with me. You know, other than your letters.”  
“An … an octopus told me that you said hi.” Harrison cringed at how absurd that sounded when he said it out loud.   
“It was literally the only thing I could of saying.” Edgar shrugged. “It’s not like what I wrote was much longer.” He straightened up. “Ready to try again?” 

Edgar tidied some of the things on the ground, resisting the urge to scrutinize the report cards too closely.   
He was acting like his usual optimistic and supportive self, but he could see how much strain Harrison was under.   
Harrison had always been different from other magicians, because he didn’t lie to his audience. He told them that he used magic for his tricks, and it was true.   
But now Harrison was lying in the opposite way – attributing something to a natural cause instead of a supernatural one.   
It occurred to Edgar that this covering-up act was something Harrison and their parents had been doing the whole time Edgar had been gone. It had probably left them in tatters.   
Edgar was also bothered by the fact that Harrison was doing everything alone. “Harrison,” he said as Harrison made a pile of lice materialize, “do you have … friends here?”  
“Yes,” said Harrison.   
“Don’t you hang out with them?”  
“Not all the time.”  
Edgar was very disappointed. “Is it because everyone has different interests?”   
“I guess.” Harrison must’ve seen Edgar’s expression, because he hurriedly said, “I really like it here! I’ve had all kinds of adventures!”   
“That’s … good.”   
Silence descended on both of them again. Edgar had learned not to question Harrison too much, but it didn’t quench his curiosity.


	4. Chapter 4

The hours seemed to crawl by. It was becoming stifling in the tent.  
While Harrison practiced, Edgar read the letters they had written to each other. He tried to arrange them in chronological order.  
Edgar set the papers aside and went over the envelopes. It was slow going, because Edgar often had trouble reading his own handwriting. They were scrawled with an orange substance with which Edgar had coated a stick with to write.  
In the other dimension, the letters had been a much-needed source of comfort for Edgar, and he had forced himself to believe them. Comparing them now, he realized how overly cheerful and optimistic they all were, with both brothers trying to reassure each other. It was just lies, lies, and more lies.  
Something whizzed past him. Harrison had thrown his top hat in frustration.  
“I think we could both use some fresh air,” said Edgar calmly. He always went for walks when he wanted to clear his head, a habit he had copied from his father.  
Harrison didn’t argue and retrieved his hat.  
The light was turning yellowish-gold, and Edgar was again disoriented. He was still holding the letters.  
Harrison wasn’t aiming to go anywhere, so Edgar led the way, and they wound up at the activities field. Some of the other campers were milling around and looked up as Edgar walked by.  
David skipped happily over to the boys. “Harrison, are you giving Edgar a tour of the camp?”  
Edgar answered for Harrison. “Yes. I’ve already seen the tents and mess hall.” He looked at his brother. “Where shall we go next?”  
“Let’s … go to the amphitheater,” said Harrison.  
David’s eyes fell onto the letters, and his expression changed to surprise.  
“Is something wrong?” said Edgar.  
“Harrison, I’m not going to get mad, but I would like a straight answer,” David said. “Have you been stealing paper from the camp store?”  
“I …” Harrison averted his eyes. “Yeah.”  
Edgar looked at his brother in astonishment and pity.  
“What do you need so many papers for?” said Max.  
“Do you have a secret pen pal?” Nikki asked.  
“Are you writing letters to yourself?” said Preston excitedly.  
“I was writing to Edgar,” said Harrison.  
“How often did you write to him?” Preston asked.  
“About … once every few days,” said Harrison. “We’ve been sending letters back and forth since last summer.”  
“How is that even possible?” Max asked.  
Harrison swallowed. “You remember that time Gwen and David were teaching us to make wax seals, but it turned out they hadn’t ordered the envelopes they needed? And I made an envelope appear, but it had been torn open?”  
“Kinda …”  
“It was an envelope I had sent to Edgar. He had ripped it open and written me a letter on it. After that I started sending him paper and pens to use. I didn’t know if I would ever see his replies before I figured out how to bring the letters back.”  
“Was that why you would search our tent every morning?” Preston said.  
Harrison nodded.  
David sighed. “Next time, just ask for them, okay?”  
Edgar placed his hand on Harrison’s arm.  
“Nerris isn’t back yet,” said Preston. “Was your fight that bad?”  
“Fight?” said David.  
“We heard you and Nerris shouting at each other from the Theater Camp,” said Dolph.  
Harrison looked at the ground.  
“You didn’t tell us that,” said David. “You should have come to me or Gwen for help.”  
“I know,” said Harrison. “I’m sorry.”  
“When Nerris gets back, I need you two to make up with each other, okay?” said David.  
“He understands, David,” said Edgar. 

As they walked to the far edge of the camp, Edgar had more time to process everything, and he actually began to feel worse.  
He’d just escaped from a terrifying dimension. As his thoughts settled, it was as if all his fear and anxiety was being released.  
He dug his nails into his palms. He had no time to be anxious now. He needed to be strong for Harrison.  
The amphitheater consisted of a raised platform and several benches. The wood was worn and scratched in many places.  
Edgar sat on a bench while Harrison went onstage. He had been Harrison’s only audience many times before. “You can do this,” he told Harrison, but his words sounded empty even to him.  
Edgar couldn’t take his eyes off the scenery. He hadn’t seen a proper sunset in so long. They weren’t facing west, but the colors were still beautiful.  
Still, it was immensely disappointing to see magic happen, only to see miscellaneous objects and animals appear. Harrison was becoming increasingly frustrated with each failure, and he started whining and groaning to himself.  
“I’m not good enough!” he finally yelled.  
“You are,” said Edgar. “You’re already really talented for your age. Maybe for any age.”  
“Then why can’t I bring her back?”  
“Everything takes time.”  
“I’ve had plenty of time!”  
Edgar got up. “Harrison, listen.” He climbed onto the stage, his long legs making the step easily. “You’re upset that you haven’t made Nerris come back yet. I get that. And you’re upset because you feel it was your fault in the first place.” Harrison began to protest, but Edgar put his hand on Harrison’s shoulder. “So, you’ve failed so far today. That doesn’t mean you’re going to fail forever. You brought me back. That means it can be done.”  
“I know you want to make me feel better,” said Harrison, “but I don’t think it’s working.”  
Edgar wished he knew what was going on in Harrison’s head. His therapist had told him that what a person heard most often would usually become their inner voice. Edgar had always hoped that his encouragement would become Harrison’s inner voice.  
“I still believe you should try,” said Edgar, “even if you don’t believe me. It’ll pay off, in the end.”  
Harrison smiled, but Edgar knew when his brother was faking it. 

Time went by too quickly. Edgar hovered by him, but Harrison saw the rapidly fading sunlight as a harbinger of doom. He almost wanted an excuse to stop, and he got one when he saw Max was strolling up the path. For a second, he hoped that Max would say that Nerris had returned.  
“Any luck?” Max said in a worried tone.  
“What are they going to do if Nerris doesn’t come back?” Harrison said.  
“Way I see it, they’ll probably search for her,” said Max. “And if they don’t find her, they might get the cops involved, who’ll probably question you if they think you caused her to run off.”  
Edgar was glaring at him.  
“Look, I’m just giving you the facts.”  
Harrison’s panic was through the roof. “Edgar, what should I do?”  
“Calm down,” said Edgar, but Harrison could see from his face that he was losing hope too.  
Harrison had gotten into trouble at school for his magic before. Even if his teachers didn’t believe what his classmates told them, they punished Harrison anyway. Harrison would usually just become quiet and not defend himself.  
“I need to tell them,” Harrison whispered.  
“Harrison -” said Edgar.  
“You don’t have to tell them,” said Max, looking shocked. “I could knit a doll to act as a decoy.”  
“What good would that do?” Harrison seemed terrified of his own decision, but his resolve didn’t waver. “If … if I tell them what happened, maybe we can all find a way to get her back.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t keep doing this.”  
The second of silence that followed was the longest Harrison had ever known.  
“If you decide to tell the truth, I support you,” said Edgar. 

They found Gwen and David talking to each other in the activities field. “We should go into the forest and find her,” Gwen said.  
David turned towards Edgar, Harrison, and Max, and his smile immediately came back. “It’s getting late. If you want, you boys can go to the mess hall to wait for dinner -”  
“I MADE NERRIS DISAPPEAR!” Harrison blurted out.  
The silence among the campers was deafening.  
“I’ve been trying to get her back all day!” said Harrison.  
Max was wincing with concern.  
“I’m really, really sorry, and I was hoping – I thought that -”  
Everybody’s attention was drawn away by a noise. Nerris was coming out of the forest with mud and grass on her trousers.  
“Nerris?” Gwen cried.  
Nerris was giggling. “I can’t believe you actually fell for that!”  
Harrison was just gaping at her in silence.  
“Fell for what?” said Edgar angrily.  
“My trick was the most impressive trick of all!” Nerris pointed at Harrison. “I made you think – you really -” She doubled over laughing.  
No one else moved or said anything.  
Harrison beamed with joy. “Nerris! I’m so glad you’re okay!” He ran towards Nerris with open arms.  
Just as he reached her, Nerris vanished from view.  
Harrison tripped and fell down. He sheepishly looked up at everybody’s horrified expressions. “Oops.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some elements of this story were taken from headcanons written by soloragoldsun.tumblr.com and harristanning.tumblr.com. The idea that Nerris falls asleep on top of her tower was inspired by a headcanon by camp-camp-headcannons.tumblr.com that Preston sometimes falls asleep backstage.


End file.
